Some NIS 3 billion will be invested into sports infrastructure and facilities across Israel over the next decade, Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman and Culture and Sports Minister Chili Tropper announced on Tuesday.
The plan to improve sporting infrastructure in Israel will heavily focus on bridging the infrastructure gap in the Arab sector and several minorities such as the Druze, Bedouin and Circassians citizens of Israel.
Formulated over the past year by the Finance and the Culture and Sports ministries, almost two-thirds of the program's budget will be directed for the construction and renovation of sports complexes and halls in towns and villages populated by minorities.
In addition, a significant amount will go to the purchase of advanced equipment for Israeli sports associations.
The new program will drive Israeli sport forward significantly, Liberman said in a statement.
"The program will answer the needs of both recreational and competitive sports communities in Israel and will bridge the gaps between different populations in the field of sports infrastructure," the finance minister stated. "It was formulated to answer the exact needs of Israeli sport."
The NIS 3 billion investment is an "unprecedented, significant" investment in Israeli sports infrastructure," the culture and sports minister said. "We want to make sporting infrastructure accessible to the entire Israeli population," Tropper added.